Mindoir: A Shepard's Tale
by goddess-orchid
Summary: 16 years of happiness. 16 years of hugs and birthdays and being protected. It only took a few days to ruin it. Mindoir was the end and the start, but no one knows the story. Perhaps its time she told it to the people she knows best. Back then she was a scared kid recently able to control her biotics. She wasn't a spectre or the hero of the citadel. She was a child.
1. Chapter 1

Game Night Memories Ch. 1

"Sorry Commander, but I believe that is a screw you," Vega's laugh filled the room, and Shepard could feel the credits flying out of her pocket even as she smiled. Vega took a swig from a bottle of what a Volus on the Citadel had called "Batarian Fire Water". The smell was thick, and she swore it burned her nose when he opened it. Still she wanted to down a bit at that moment. She had been saving for a new model ship. Shepard tossed down her cards with a smirk.

"Keep that up James and I'll make you help Garrus with his calibrations," She said.

Garrus leaned toward Shepard, his eyes lively as ever.

"Only if by "help" you mean ruin."

"Hey, I know something about guns." Vega lifted an arm flexing his muscles with a cheesey smirk on his mouth. "All kinds of guns."

Garrus tilted his head, leaning back in his seat. "Little ones, Vega, just the little ones."

With that a mixture of challenging howls and laughter erupted in the small room. It was bustling with the crew and another body could scarcely fit around the card table, but that was to be expected when they were in drydock. A few of the crewmen sat at the bar with glasses in hand. Tali and Donelly chatted about technical improvements over drinks. According to him this was to help Tali avoid overdoing the use of her "emergency induction port," which Shepard heartily approved of. Kaidan sat to Shepard's left, while Cortez sat next to Vega. Joker had been cleaned out twenty minutes before and was sitting in a corner with a half full glass.

Shepherd found the lively bustle a nice change from the usual anxious energy that permeated the Normandy. She was not one for crowds, but being surrounded by her crew, her friends and family, made things lighter. She would protect them through hell and back. Soon, she would lead them deeper into hell than they had ever been. Shepard swallowed, her leg twitched, as she began to tap her foot against the floor. _Quiet before the storm_.

She fought back her thoughts, letting out a small huff. "So, what is it James? I said you could get whatever you want-"

"Not whatever-" Kaidan piped up.

Shepherd raised her brow, a soft chuckle escaped her lips.

"Someone's jealous? Don't worry Kaidan, I make Vega blush too much for that."

At this Vega tensed up a little and the slight red rising to his cheeks only made Shepard laugh. Whenever he blushed she couldn't help but be amused by how cute it was. Like when a grandmother pinched a little boy's cheeks. Perhaps it was the booze or the sheer lack of formality in the moment…or perhaps it was because they could die at any moment, but she felt completely open. She had no reservations, or at least as close as Shepard could let herself get to that. So maybe she did have a few.

"So James what will it be? More credits, store discount, or do you want me to teach you how to really use a gun?"

Vega smiled a moment and looked down into bottle in his hand. His brown eyes betrayed him, and the level of deep thought in them made her almost flinch. There was something reserved about how he looked up at her then down at his drink. It was like he was expecting to be reprimanded. Not a good sign.

` "Come on Vega, can't be that bad?" Shepard said.

"Look I will think of something if you can't, though I'm thinking all my answers involve her teaching you how to shoot," Garrus said.

Slowly Vega leaned back in his seat, looking to Garrus with mock scorn. The testosterone was borderline palatable in the room. Joker raised an eyebrow at Shepard, throwing her a look that said "_Can you believe these two?"_ and Shepard shook her head letting out another laugh. _Would you have it any other way_?

"You can do some fancy tricks, Scars, but you know I pack the real fire power."

"You call that fire power?" Garrus retorted.

Shepherd scoffed, running her fingers through her hair, reclining back in her seat.

"You know I could warp your asses either way, so come on Vega what is it?"

Vega shrugged, taking another drink before setting it down slowly. He always had a look to him like he tried not to care too much, but the trained eye could tell what it was. He was always questioning, analyzing in his own unique way. Vega was no genius, but he was smart and had the common sense to know when to be wary. It didn't make Shepard feel any more comfortable.

"Ya know, Lola, I've told you a lot about me. We all have."

From the background Tali shouted "Here's to that!" and Shepard knew Donnelly failed in his task.

"Never heard too much about you." He paused, and looked self conscious. "Well beyond the _legend_."

She shrugged, sucking in her cheek. It was true, but that was because there wasn't much to say. She had bad times and horrible times along with good ones. Perhaps knowing almost every major detail of their lives was somewhat unfair when they knew nothing but the basics of hers. Commander Winter Shepard; Hero of the Alliance. Butcher of Torfan. Survivor of Mindoir.

It was a bit lacking, when fact was she could probably tell each of their life stories with incredible detail. Tali spent her youth living up to her father's potential. Her mother died when she was a child. Though sweet and naive during her pilgrimage, she became a level headed wonderful young woman living for the fleet and her father's memory. She missed the creaking of the floatilla ships, but when she got back it wasn't the same. Her father would bring her fancy dextro-cheeses whenever he assisted trades, and her mother would help her with her homework even when she could barely talk. Yeah, Shepard knew a hell of a lot about her team. The barest inkling of guilt rose in her chest, and she could feel it hit against her buzz.

"You've seen my records." She leaned forward again. "Other than that not much to add."

"Yeah, but that's different."

Shepard nodded, as the sense of dread in her veins deepened. James Vega was never this hesitant about anything. In fact, she was pretty sure he liked diving head long into trouble. It was admirable, but the anticipation he displayed made her heart skip a beat or two. The cautious way he spoke was leading her into a trap, but she had lost and could not escape without pulling rank or being an asshole. _Shit_.

"Look I'm not trying to go somewhere I shouldn't, but what happened on Mindoir?"

The room grew quiet. Nervous and curious faces looked around, as if asking to turn back the clock or searching for answers, but no one looked at Shepard. It was not that people hadn't wondered. She knew they had, but every time she thought about telling any of them invisible fingers grasped her throat, and her mind felt foggy like when she pushed her biotics too hard. They had heard the basic story because it was the Alliance's feel good story of the year, a girl who lost everything saves the seat of galactic parliament. Her family was killed by Batarian slavers, but the details were slim hidden behind black out, red tape, and veterans who shook their heads and sighed. Nothing else could or should be said.

"That was years ago." Her voice was steady without any anger or affectation. She had maintained the barrier for years; the emotions had all been sufficiently dimmed and ignored. Still her discomfort grew, and she shifted anxiously in her seat.

"Yeah." Vega played with his hands alternating between interlocking his fingers and tapping them against his wrist.

"Why are you curious?"

"A lot of red tape there, Shepard. There were a lot of things happening when the Batarians attacked. I knew some people who were raised there. I did some favors, for a few of them looking up details reports didn't tell. " He paused, as if he wasn't sure how to phrase what was coming next. "Your neighbors had the same story in near the exact same words, and like the reports...things had holes."

_She could still remember sitting with Anderson at a bar on the citadel toasting her new spectre status. It had been a good night, but both of them had been waiting for the pin to drop. She had let it fall. "I shouldn't even be here. What happened...and...shit I should probably be dead like them. My parents were supposed to live to see shit like this, Sir. Forgive me if I can't be too happy."_

_Anderson never flinched. _

_"You overcame, Shepard, and they'd be damned proud."_

James wasn't being unkind, and judging by his voice and his belief in Shepard hadn't been compromised by her...sanitized past. He was genuinely curious about her past.

"Vega, come on drop it-" Kaidan was trying to be her knight, to save her from pain. He didn't know anymore than they did, but he had seen her in the quiet moments when the memory tries to surface. Kaidan was a good man.

"It's ok." Shepard managed a small smile at Kaidan, whose face curled with concern. "I think my crew deserves to know me better. Hell, it seems like I know damn near everything about half the crew, and that's not even including the people I worked with in Cerberus." She laced her fingers together shutting her eyes before staring down at her hands. Her lips parted as if to speak, but the words got caught in her chest. This was absurd, she had given speeches, comforted victims, and saved the galaxy but this little thing gripped at her core.

"Commander, forget I asked." Vega gathered the cards and began shuffling them again. His eyes were focused downward, as if he had crossed a line or like if he looked at her she'd break. Shepard wasn't weak. She didn't need protection anymore she was a damn adult. Her eyes opened narrowing in on James as she reached for Kaidan's glass of whiskey. Shepard knocked it back ignoring the burning in the back of her throat before licking her lips.

"A lot of shit went down. I've fought Geth, Reapers, and a fucking Thresher Maw, but I was ready for them in a weird kind of way. The batarians…yeah they…they caught everyone off guard." She stared at the green felt table and a mirthless laugh escaped her lips. "I was just a kid...s" A dull tingling had crept up her hands and she drew in a slow deep breath to keep them from trembling. "Funny thing, though the one thing I always remember is that day I woke to my favorite smell in the world, the saltiness of imported American bacon and waffles."

**This chap. is somewhat slow, but trust me when I say this picks up speed.*


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N**Fair warning this story only gets more violent from here on out. It is not for shock value and there will not be gore for the sake of gore, but the events of Mindoir in the game are implied to be quite violent and my goal is to remain faithful to how horrible these kinds of events have been in a historical sense as well. If you have any feedback I would love to hear it. I felt it my duty to warn you all just in case. Now I hope you enjoy**_

Morning Light Ch. 2

"Winter get your butt down here, or you aren't getting breakfast!" Mom always had a way with words.

"I'm coming!"

I was already dressed, technically I had been dressed and redressed several times. Back then teenage self consciousness had a habit of making me late to things. It felt like the full length mirror in my room always lied to me a little; my pants made my ass look huge and everyone could, without question, see the amp implant behind my curls.

I was one of the first to get an L3, curtsey of a family friend with government ties and at the time I still didn't know what to think of it. The skin around it was still sensitive after a month and half, and sometimes it swelled visibly. I was glad to have it, but it wasn't the most attractive thing. Still being a biotic made me different, a freak, and I loved it because I wasn't plain. I loved the surge of my biotics when I got excited and the little shocks that made people jump when they shook my hand, but at the same time people looked at me twice. In the eyes of most people on the colony I was likely to read their mind or wipe their brain, and the amp just made them more uncomfortable. During gym class I'd pin up my hair and hear the whispers then in the halls people would stare at the back of my head looking for it. So I spent far too long on my hair trying to hide my amp in a way I like.

"Winter! You. Are. Late."

I contemplated changing into something else and pulling my hair back so it definitely covered my amp, but the sweet scent of bacon was filling the room. It was a fucking siren's call, and in seconds I rushed to the closet I shared with my little sister pulling out my shoes before running down the stairs that lead to the kitchen. Plopping down on the bottom stair I strapped on my shoes.

When I looked up my older sister, Autumn, twirled around pressing her wedding dress to her body through a protective bag. The dress had been in our family for four generations, carefully altered, and preserved for almost every Cane woman. Sis was going to be the first Shepard to wear it. Autumn dreamt of wearing it for years, and I had the honor of making sure her hair and make-up was stunning when she did. Her big dark eyes beamed as she looked from me to mom, who was setting a plate for me at the table across from Primrose, my younger sister.

"I can't wait to put on this dress, Ma. "

"It's so pretty." Rosie said, slathering a piece of toast in jelly until it dripped on her plate. She was excited for the wedding, she picked out her flower girl dress and everything. Every time she saw Autumn in the gown, she was thinking of her own wedding far down the road. With our father's jet black hair and the fat cheeks we both inherited from our grandfather she would have looked like a doll in that dress. Little Rosie was a peach; fresh and new to the world at nine and a half years old. Best of all she didn't mind me making her late for school.

When I was done with my shoes I sat across from her stealing a bite of her toast before she could stop me. She pouted and stuck out her tongue, and I made a face back at her before diving into my maple syrup drowned waffles. I relished the sweetness, as I shoveled them in only just then becoming aware of how hungry I was.

I knocked back half a glass of orange juice and wiping my mouth. "It really is pretty…can't wait to see you in it."

"It makes me feel like Kal does, like a princess." She said.

I started making gagging noises, and Rosie giggled. Mom shook her head turning to Autumn with a shrug that said she didn't understand how I fell out of her. It wasn't my fault Autumn was so sappy. Besides Autumn laughed harder than any of us before sticking her tongue out at me, and I returned the favor.

"Oh don't you knock it." Autumn wagged her finger at me unable to shake her big dopey grin. "You'll find someone to make you feel just as special."

"Oh Winnie already has…she likes John Crawford." Rosie gave the words a sing-song quality, and I could have strangled her. No one was supposed to know about that...about him. John with his chestnut hair, deep brown eyes, and his smile that screamed good-farm-boy had me in half hysterics whenever he talked to me during lunch. How did Rosie even know?

All at once the three of them looked at me and cooed until I was red in the face. At that age harmless jokes become deep irritating digs at insecurities. So I just sank down in my seat and kept eating my waffles, muttering through a bite that Rosie lied before not saying a thing. In silent protest of their teasing I said nothing else and stared out the window.

From outside on the porch drifted in the sound of my brothers singing and playing guitar. River would be leaving for the university in a few weeks, so he had been making sure he taught Gus the rest of the song they'd been practicing. That was the agreement. Gus wouldn't be angry over River leaving if River helped him practice guitar when he was home. River had a kind soul, but I couldn't deny how happy I was he was outside. Otherwise he would have grabbed me in a noogie before deciding to go give John a "talk". He was the sort of older brother who'd tease me mercilessly, but would fight to the death for me. At the time I thought that'd remain purely hypothetical. How wrong I was.

"Oh sweetie, you're a little lady now. You should ask him out," Mom said.

"Ma!" I nearly choked on my toast, and both my sisters chuckled before making kissing noises. Strangling them sounded better every second. "Ha ha ha"

"I'm just saying act first before the chance passes you by." I shrugged finishing my breakfast as fast as I could. It was too much, I was going to die of embarrassment. "You kids better head out. Tell dad you're gone. Love you."

I stood, licking the bits of grease and bacon crumbs from my fingers before kissing my mom on the cheek then grabbing my bag. "Love you mega, ma."

Maybe it was precognition or just luck, but for some reason I stopped and turned to Autumn "You too sis."

She grinned back at me, her pretty white teeth like perfect rows of pearls. Her eyes glittering, how I would always remember them even after the rest of her began to fade.

"You better."

Outside Gus already had his bag slung over his shoulder, and River strummed an absent minded tune on his guitar. River didn't even look up at us as he asked, "Headin' out?"

"Yeah, gotta say goodbye to dad first."

"Have a good day then. Don't make too much trouble. See you after school."

Rosie took my hand, and Gus came to my side as we walked toward the "barn". River began to play a song I couldn't place, as if playing us out on a late night show. He always loved adding music cues to real life. He was rather good at it too, and it always made for a good laugh. Cheesy River with his cheesy ways. I didn't know it'd be the last time I'd hear him play.

When we came around the house dad was outside putting on his welding gear. Rosie ran over and threw herself into his arms. Dad pulled her close, and when Gus came over he mussed Gus' curls until his little body squirmed away with a laugh. There used to be a time when I was the one throwing myself at dad, but I had gotten too big for it even though I missed those days. A young lady composed herself better, besides my fingers were still greasy.

"Daaaad, I look crazy," Gus said.

"You're a Shepard, son, we all have a few screws loose. Now you just look the part. You two have a good day at school, Ok?" His deep voice filled my ears, and he when he let go of Rosie he pulled me into a hug, kissing my cheek "You too, Snowflake." When he pulled away, he turned on his visor with a cheeky grin. His eyes were brilliantly bright from the excitement of crafting his latest commission. He wouldn't tell anyone what it was, but it had him beaming all the time. When we worked on our model ships in the barn he always put a sheet over it, refusing to let me even peak. Pestering him about it was all I wanted to do, but I looked at the time and grabbed both Gus and Rosie's hand.

"Late! Love you dad." My siblings echoed my words, as I pulled them down the road in a sprint. As a kid I was rather strong despite my lanky arms, and the twins were being half dragged down the dirt road like dolls.

"Love you too! Don't break them or you have to buy me two new ones!"

"Wait…sorry to interrupt, but-"Vega scratched his arm. "Rosie, Winter, Autumn, River-"

"My parents were hippies, aggressive hippies really." Shepard shrugged, her lips curling into a grin despite herself. They taught her how to fire a gun without burning herself then taught her the virtues of east Asian and traditional African medicines. Their world was a harmony of contradictions that years later Shepard knew colored her world view, and was probably why despite all notions of diplomacy she was prone to shooting first. She could still remember her early childhood on Earth when they'd pack up the skyvan and head to Cairo or Beijing for her father's old job. He'd follow old fashioned weapon smiths then he'd take them to every medicinal shop and food market then could find. Shepard nodded, feeling a smile creep on her lips as she took a drink. "After a while they wanted the great adventure and fresh air. Besides they could shoot anything they got near us square between the eyes then they'd say a prayer for it, like I said aggressive hippies who named their kids after seasonal nature things."

"But the name Gus kinda comes from no where."

"Well there was River, Autumn, myself, Primrose, and Augustus. I'm the only one whose not a twin actually, part of why they named me. Winters are all about solitude so they figure "why not?" They wanted a theme, you see." She stared down at her hands. There had been times she watched her siblings, the bond they shared that she couldn't quite understand had lead to a lot of crowded solitude on the farm. A strange tingling settled in her chest right against her heart; she missed that old jealousy. Even in death she was the odd Shepard out. "It fits I guess."

The three of us made our way down the road toward the heart of the colony. We lived right on the outskirts, and attended the smaller of the two schools. It wasn't too far, and dad said the 50 minute walk was good exercise. The air was crisp like the best part of morning and the sky was on its way to clear blue. If we had left earlier we would have been walking with the rest of our neighbors, or we could have caught a ride. Walking all that way could be inconvenient, but in another year I wouldn't be walking anymore. Dad and Mom had been saving to get me a car, and I didn't care what kind or where it came from. All I cared about was driving to school in my pristine skycar, and then maybe John would want to take a drive. Life on a colony could be rough and we had to rely on our neighbors far more than we liked, but since I had my implant my biggest worry had been John, whispring, and that damn car I only half cared about. Life was just that simple.

As we climbed the hill we could see the whole of the colony. The old fashioned clock that topped our school, a gift from some industrialist somebody, could be seen clearly, but we were about a twenty minutes away. From where we were the rest of the walk would be about ten minutes or so, which would be too much to keep us out of detention.

"If you keep walking slow, we're gonna leave you behind," I called back to Gus.

Gus slightly sped up, but he was barely keeping up a decent stride. "No, you won't," he said.

At his words I looked down at Rosie and winked. He really should have known better to challenge his big sister. In a mad dash we took off, leaving Gus in a trail of dust. He pushed on after us, half laughing at the game we had played dozens of times before. He knew I wouldn't let him take the brunt of a tardy detention alone. As we descended the hill dozens of shuttles zoomed above us straight to the center of the colony. We stopped, staring up at them as they went. Three. Five. Seven. Too many.

"What's going on?" Rosie said.

"I dunno," I said, but I knew I did know I didn't recognize any of the shuttles beyond their models.

Mindoir never got much traffic. We were just a bunch of farmers and scientists really, and those ships didn't have the emblem of the Alliance or any markings at all for that matter. It didn't make any sense. Something off kilter was happening and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Gus and Rosie looked at me with pleading, as if they were reading my uneasiness. I swallowed and forced on a smile.

Maybe some new company was going to invest in the colony, or set up a factory, and they sent a bunch of supplies. It happened all the time in other colonies, or at least the news made it seem that way. The likelihood was I got myself worked up over nothing and there was no point in getting them worked up too.

"We should get to school."

As we neared the colony center screams echoed from every direction followed by the sounds of rapid gunfire. Moments before it had been deathly quiet, but now we each jumped in our skin. Rosie grabbed my hand gripping it impossibly tight and I tried to see where it was coming from. Gus looked to me, with wide panic stricken eyes, the corners of his mouth fell as if doom had fallen on us. Part of me screamed to grab them and run away, but what if someone saw us and shot us down as we fled up the hill? It could have been some lone nut who couldn't deal with colony isolation. I didn't know, but my mind kept filling in the blanks.

Between where we stood and the school there were rows of prefab homes and businesses only broken up by landing pads, scattered skycars, and two small shuttles. With the gunshots a few the home and some business safety shields dropped down. On instinct we ran to door after door, but the red holograms that kept flashing "locked, step away" did not go away even when we banged on the doors and said who we were. We'd sometimes hear shuffling, or hushed voices. Some of them we kind of recognized and we called their names, but they refused to open the door in silence. It was the start of a busy colony day, and we only knocked on nine doors and many others seemed to be empty, but it felt as though people had abandoned us to some unknown fate. Later my uncle explained to me that people weren't doing it out of cruelty, but that batarian slavers would use kids by sending them to the doors of their neighbors and when those would-be-saviors opened the door they were captured or killed. Still they left three kids cowering in the street in broad daylight when god knows what was happening. Nothing could be done and my hands were shaking.

As we stepped back from a door I realized how alone we were and that the gunshots were multiple. Fear was dancing up and down the back of my throat. We needed to get to school. The colony schools were two of the most well fortified buildings and were designated safety zones. Colony security would be swarming there and they had to let us in. Dad and Mom would always tell us "Stuff goes down, you head to school and if you're already there don't leave it." Every colony kid knew that.

I took a deep breath, trying to get my bearings only to be startled by each fresh gun shot. More shuttles were coming in. Not Alliance. In the distance alarms began to sound. Someone had managed to send word to the outskirt farms and activate the warning system. I realized it should have been ringing in the colony too, but all we heard were the screams and pops of gunfire that seemed to be getting closer. Whatever was happening we couldn't stay on the main road.

"Come on." I grabbed both their hands and lead them off the main street into a cramped alley filled with large crates.

"What's happening?" Rosie's terror encapsulated every word, as we moved around the boxes trying to not bump our arms or knees.

"I don't know...but we keep quiet and stay out of sight. Mr. Brower probably has the school locked-" Unfamiliar alien voices approached from ahead of us, and I pulled Rosie and Gus behind a crate to our right. I had both of them pressed against the cold metal of the prefab wall, shielding them with my lanky body.

"Where'd they go?" The voice was deep, inhumanly so with a gravel like texture that sent chills down my spine. I had a school grade omni-tool that translated their every word, but it'd be too risky to light it up and ask it to display the language. I knew what Krogan sounded like and what Turians sounded like from the vids, but the voice was different. Still it was familiar.

"No, security forces went north. Us and delta squad are supposed to- shit! Get down!"

It was then I placed the voice from extranet news casts, and suddenly I felt like throwing up. My heart was beating against my chest, and my mouth felt dry, as if all the moisture had been sucked out. _Batarians_. I had heard the vids arguing against human expansion, and justifying the enslavement of other species before. Dad always got on mom about listening to the news during dinner because she'd be angry in seconds. Particularly when it came to batarians justifying slavery. The threat had always been there. I had always been aware, but it was happening. They were taking us. They were taking us. They were taking us. Now, it was real. My body was trembling, as gun shots sounded again causing my ears to ache. They were way too close for comfort.

We had to get away, so I pulled back, and motioned for my siblings to follow me. Our knees scraped the cold rough ground as crawled back the way we came on all fours. The batarians screamed, and I froze terrified they had seen us, but when I looked over my shoulder they hadn't even glanced in our direction. I wondered if we should have stayed behind the crate, or maybe we should have run back home when we first saw the shuttles. A thousand different things roared through my mind and each gunshot and scream made tears roll down my cheek. Rosie, bless her heart, tugged my leg. I wiped my cheeks, turning to her only to see her nod that we should go forward.

Once we turned the corner I yanked them up and turned into the next alley where a group of four security officers sat firing at the batarians we almost ran into. We approached them as gunshots began to sound from the main street, but the urge to cry felt somewhat distant. There was only one way out and it was with security. They could help us, protect us and make sure we get out alive. We would. Everyone said they were trained to handle raiders.

We ran towards them, and years later I realized how lucky we were to not get shot. Later I'd learn how piss poor their training was, but at that moment they were saviors. We heard a strange gurgling scream and then another, and the guards stopped firing. One of them I recognized through his helmet; he did patrols on the outskirts every week. Sometimes Dad would chat with him, but I couldn't recall his name.

"Are you kids ok?" A tall female guard asked. She motioned for two of the men to watch behind them, then put a hand on my shoulder.

"Y-yeah...we were walking late to school and saw the shuttles and...batarians are here."

"They're gonna kill us." Rosie began to sniffle a little, and I realized I had been too terrified to notice that her whole body was shaking. As I went to hold her close I realized Gus was still gripping my hand and it was painful. I didn't let go.

"Listen, I won't let them get anywhere near you," the woman said. "I'm Captain Rhoads."

The guard I recognized looked me over slowly. He was quite a few years younger than my dad, maybe about 28, and he had eyes the color of faded blue denim.

"You're Jaden Shepard's kids aren't you?"

I nodded.

"Yes sir, and you do patrols near the farm."

"Yeah I do." He said it like was a memory he'd forgot or some part of his life that was far removed from the present. I couldn't blame him. "Did you see any batarians on your way here?" He looked me dead in the eye, and despite his outward calm I could see the fear rising within him. Rosie was right...we were gonna die.

"No, just shuttles." Gus said. His voice was bereft of any emotion, as if the shock of it all had left nothing real in him.

"How many did you see?"

Gus shrugged, and I drew in my breath recounting as many as I could.

"At least ten." The twins nodded in agreement with my words. Rosie wiped her eyes, taking in a deep sobbing breath.

"That's about eight per shuttle, so about 80 raiders."

I shook my head, half not believing that eight batarians were on each shuttle. Our colony was big, but I didn't understand how they could send so many. "No, we saw about ten shuttles over head. We saw a few more when we got closer, which are probably their secondary forces, and some probably descended before we got into town. They send a few in to shake us up and-" The security forces stared at me, a bit wide eyes that a sixteen year old would be rambling on about the strategy of the things destroying her colony. "I read a lot of war and mystery novels...also a lot of news."

"At this moment there's about 300 people here." Captain Rhoads raised a brow looking to her men. "150 of which are children. They must have a bigger ship somewhere even with all those shuttles. We need to contact the Alliance."

" Our comms. are still down," another man said.

Rosie turned her head to me, her dark eyes holding a small spark of hope.

"Mr. Brower has a special communications thing in his office."

I looked towards Captain Rhoads, nodding. "He said it's supposed to be able to weed through communication disrupters. It's in his office at Grace Hopper School, which is...somewhat...ironic."

Captain Rhoads smiled at me, the only person to get my little history joke, then turned to her men.

"We know where we're headed. Marshall are we clear?"

"As crystal ma'am" the guard called as he looked around the corners.

"You kids stay near me. Kelly," She motioned to the guard who had questioned us. "take the rear with Gomez."

I squeezed my siblings hands, as we followed the guards out of the alley. The school was a short jog from where we stood. I drew in a breath, hoping that word had spread to the outer farms. The Alliance would come and arrest every single batarian or we'd manage to push them back because we were united. That's what happened in the vids. Those vids never included the dozens of bloody flesh covered side walk, or the half disintegrated corpses too far to make out, but too close to ignore. Dozens of bodies and splattered fleshy bits covered the distant half of the road, some of whom were batarian. Apparently most of their forces weren't to this side of the colony and later some would call it lucky. Maybe it was, but it never felt that way. We crept out onto the street sprinting with the guards to behind a skycar and ducking. Rosie was still sniffling, and I pulled her close kissing her head through her unending mass of curls.

"We'll be ok." I had to believe it. If I didn't I'd lose it too.

"Let's move." Captain Rhoads ran across the road behind another car. Kelly and the other guard ran on either side of us as we sprinted behind her. As we ran the sound of Gomez footsteps was followed by the sound of gunfire. I started to turn my head, but I heard "Keep going don't look back!"

Rhoads was already firing her assault rifle as we rushed behind the car beside her. Gomez rolled and ducked behind a metal fruit stall. Suddenly the street was filled with Batarians and security forces firing at each other from all directions. In between the gunfire I noticed familiar faces scattering about the street, fleeing to buildings with cries and screams. They had been hiding too behind whatever they could find; behind dumpsters, crates, buildings and in shot up cars. The batarians were so preoccupied with the forces chasing them Gomez and Rhoads picked off several of them quickly. I'd never seen someone shot before, but the bullets went though with a flurry of blood that transfixed me. Death had come into my home, leaving marks with such simplicity and speed that the word death seemed too long for the act. They were dead, but the weight of it didn't seem much. They had simply ceased their function as their brains and blood flowed onto the road I walked a day ago without so much as a thought. It was then it occured to me that I could possibly end up the same way, ceasing to be and I couldn't move.

Rhoads yelled for us to go, but just then a gruesome yell hit the air. In a flash of red and black Gomez features contorted. Gomez face began to drip off as the blast overwhelmed him. The meat and armor became indistinguishable as his body shimmered and disintegrated. The batarians had incendiary ammo. I couldn't even tell where or how he'd been hit. That day I was supposed to be sitting in my galactic history class, but instead I watched a man die.

"Go!"

Kelly hit my shoulder and without thinking my legs began moving. I could already feel strain building in my muscles, and my lungs felt as if they were choked. The school gate was so close I was all but throwing myself forward. Gus began to slow down and I tugged hard on his arm, until he was forced to keep pace due to the pain of it. Right before we could turn into the gate three batarians ran down the street. The guards raised their rifles. It wouldn't be enough. We'd die there. I'd never see Autumn in her dress. I'd never hear River perform with the Mindoir Holiday band. Ma and daddy would never kiss me goodnight again. My babies, Rose and Gus wouldn't get to keep going. We were going to die.

Adrenaline roared through my veins like a wild torrent. Dark energy pumped through my body, and I could hear Leslia's voice in my head. That asari, the first alien I had ever met, was there with me saying "Focus. Let what you want be what you need to happen. Embrace the infinite possibilities." They would not suffer. I could not allow it. With a surge of pain radiating through my brain, I let myself drown in that beautiful blue light. I didn't know when I let go of my siblings hands, but with two wide swats of my hand I sent the batarians and their guns flying back. Well, in honesty it was only about eight feet and they were pretty low to the ground. For a good hard second everyone hesitated, but Kelly and the other guard recovered quick and unleashed a round of shots into the raiders. We didn't wait for their bodies to fall to start running again. We dashed behind the gate of the school yard and the other guard pushed us against the thick concrete wall.

"Stay down!" He said as they began to fire from cover. It was then that I noticed the metal shades had been put down over all the school windows. They were weather proof, bullet proof, and blast proof according to my dad. We'd be safe soon. In just another few minutes. A dozen people suddenly ran through the gate with several other security officers. Some ran to the walls like us, but other ran to the school door banging on its doors. Captain Rhoads ran in with an injured man, his leg was drenched in blood.

"Close the gate!"

The guards shut the iron gate then stepped back. The one whose name I never learned began working on his omni-tool and the heavy secondary gate slammed shut. The yard was filled with sobs and crying. I pressed my ear to the wall, ignoring the growing hunger in my belly as the adrenaline faded. The screams weren't all from the yard. Some were like Gomez. Horrifying death knells filled with incomprehensible suffering.


	3. Chapter 3

I turned back to the school entrance to see the doors open. Mr. Brower stood there, his eyes half glazed. He moved aside as people damn near mowed him down. Captain Rhoads went up to him and I followed.

"Mr. Brower, I'm Captain Rhoads. I hear you have a communications system."

"Y-yes, it is an emergency system I've been working on." Mr. Brower stood in the doorframe. His blue eyes were tired, and just as frightened as ours. He ran his fingers through his blonde hair, grimacing. "It only works if the new northern comm. tower is up and running. It was supposed to be up today."

"The rest of the colonial communications is down."

"I know. I was able to send warning to some of the farming outposts through my system, but I think they must have gone for the central building and cut the warning main system for here."

"Did you get ours?" turned to me, his eyes softened a bit and he nodded.

"Yes, hopefully your parents took refuge at the outpost. Winter, do you know if your sister had this morning's shift at the tower?"

Rosie ran up to me, and looked at Mr. Brower.

"Autumn, was still home when we left, but she had the mid-morning shift. She and Kal were going to take the long way around," Rosie said. Autumn must have mentioned that before I came downstairs. Kal usually came by to pick her up, and when they had later shifts they had a tendency to go the scenic route around the colony. It took forty minutes longer, but maybe that was a good thing.

"Hopefully, batarians haven't taken the tower yet," Captain Rhoads nodded "If they or someone else can make it there we can send out an SOS to the Alliance."

I felt something warm and wet drip down from my nose, and my head began to feel light. My knees were shaking, and Rosie took my hand. Suddenly all three of them were staring at me, with eyes flowing with concern. I moved to wipe my nose, but paused when blood dripped down on my hand. A raging headache marched from my amp to the front of my brain, and my body felt as though I hadn't eaten in days instead of hours. Mr. Brower pulled a handkerchief from his pocket then he tilted back my head and pressed the cloth to my nose with trembling fingers. He only knew me for the same reason I was bleeding. I was the one biotic student in the colony and the first he ever met. Sure, if I wasn't he would have known me for being Autumn's sister because he worked with colony communications, but he'd have never learned my name. "We should get you inside."

I took the cloth and kept tilting my head back, staggering a bit as he tried to guide me into the building. I paused and turned, looking for my brother. He was in front of the gate watching the soldiers stack crates containing materials for the new school wing near the gate. He looked rather small compared to the security officers and the looming wall.

"Gus!" Rosie yelled. Without a word he ran over, and as he got closer I could see his brows furrow as he looked at me. I turned around again. They were kids. I was almost an adult they shouldn't have been worrying over me. Just last week I told them I had gotten better because of Leslia and that my biotics didn't make me bleed anymore. Leslia wasn't just a great teacher, but a former Asari commando and the soul reason I never had to go to a biotic academy. She had left the colony two weeks before, saying I'd do fine on my own for a while. Maybe she was wrong. Rosie took my hand again, but I let go, as we made our way towards the cafeteria. At that moment she and Gus didn't need to be worrying about me. We were protected in the school. We were safe.

We were also easy targets.


End file.
